College cost

Where are families savings going, why the price is so high, and what the government can do to help

Future President

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington D.C. 20500

Dear Mr./Ms. President:

As teenagers get closer to thinking about college, they begin trying their best to get excellent grades and have exceptional attendance to be accepted. Young adults try their absolute hardest they can in order to get into their dream school whether that be an Ivy league, state school, or just a community college. But is the first thing we look at when were interested in a university the price? All of the sudden the experience becomes very stressful. It is important to know how costs affect everyone involved, where your money is going, and what people of higher power shouldacknowledge what they can do for a smarter america.

In an infographic article by Chris Pumpfrey, he brings high school seniors and their families to the table to talk about the effect of cost of college has on other life events. Did you know that only 66% of students with financially concerned families apply to college compared to the 9% of students whose families aren’t concerned? Not only have students been pressured to drop out because of the absurd prices which have already costed them thousands of dollars and have no degree to show for it but there debt sets them back in more ways than one and not anticipated. Young adults are being forced to delay their adult life. They arent being able to buy their first home and having to move back in with mom and dad. Also they are procrastinating getting married, starting their own families, and pursuing medical and dental care because of what appears to be constant student debt. Not only do rising tuition costs impact their adult life but also students’ future careers. In some cases, college debt exceeds the salaries in some fields making it extremely problematic for college graduates to earn a living, save for the future, and pursue a career in their field. This forces Graduates choosing to work in other fields where they may be unhappy and discouraged. As you can see, there are so many issues concerning college prices.

There are many reasons and explanations as to why college costs so much and why the price is only rising. The “winner-take-all” society explains the goals of selective academic institutions is to be the very greatest possible. They effectively search for all potential resources and put them to use financing things they feel will make the greatest. To seem better, they spend their funds on advancing facilities, faculty, students, research, technology, etc. Another reason as to why prices are skyrocketing is shared governance. The shared governance between trustees, administrators, and faculty virtually assures that selective private institutions will respond more slowly to cost strains. The other reason is published rankings of institutions. It's been demonstrated that when an institutions’ ranking advances, the amount of applicants rises, the freshman test scores increase, and also the load of financial aid that has to be granted to enroll the class decreases. Because of this, institutions have every reason to raise their placement in the ranking. These are just a few of the many things causing college tuition to jump.

President Obama brings the government in, to consider the proposition of two years of free college for students. Obama put out a different plan to establish two years of community college free, or close to it. Of course this would be a serious investment, but it would transform the face of higher education. The plan would make two years of college the new normal. Government figures have explained the regular tuition at a public four year college has shot up over 250%. This would save a full time community college student an average $3,800 in tuition annually. Obama has to have Congress to respect the money for any program first. His attempts to cut down the fee of college hasn't yet been successful. He has attempted to tie financial aid to how much colleges help poorer students afford school. Obama has strongly encouraged states to take in school performance into thought when disbursing money to their public colleges. The challenge of this plan is incredible, but it would benefit millions of Americans.

In conclusion, some action needs to take place for college costs to stop where they are or if not, be lowered. These pricing are affecting everyone involved in the college decision making severely and to the breaking point. They are altering students young adult life, and it is so important for students and families to know where their savings are going and what will come out of the investment and also it's time for the government to step in and start coming up with new outside of the box ideas to create a smarter America for tomorrow.

#2nextprez

Letters to the Next President 2.0 engaged and connected young people, aged 13-18, as they researched, wrote, and made media to voice their opinions on issues that mattered to them in the 2016 Presidential Election.

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